Cortland Full Sinking Type 6 Fly Line - Black 90ft WF7S Review (2026)

How this line is built

This is part of Cortland's Classic 444 series, a weight forward full sinking line with a braided nylon multifilament core. The manufacturer states the line sinks evenly at 6 to 7 inches per second, which places it in the fast-sinking Type 6 category used for reaching fish holding deep in stillwater or heavy river current. The head runs about 32 feet with roughly 58 feet of running line to make up the 90 foot total length, and it uses a single front welded loop for quick leader connections. The WF7S designation on this listing means it is built to match a 7 weight rod, with a stated grain weight around 185 grains for that size, heavier than the 5 and 6 weight versions Cortland offers in the same series.

Where it performs best

A Type 6 full sinking line like this is intended for deep stillwater tactics, such as fishing streamers or nymphs along a lake bottom, or for heavy, deep-water river applications where fish sit well below the surface. The manufacturer lists it as suited to trout, salmon, steelhead, carp, bass, pike and panfish, reflecting how a fast-sinking 7 weight line crosses over between trout lake fishing and warmwater species that hold deep. Cortland recommends the line for water temperatures in the 30 to 70 degree Fahrenheit range, which covers most of the open-water season in temperate climates, and the company lists the line at a price around seventy dollars.

Color and visibility

The line is finished in black, a color choice that keeps the line low profile against dark lake bottoms and deep water where a bright running line could spook cautious fish. Because the entire line sinks rather than using a floating running line, there is no visual color break to mark the transition between head and running line the way a sink-tip design offers, so anglers track depth mostly by feel and count-down timing rather than a visible reference point on the water. This makes the line best suited to anglers already comfortable counting a line down and tracking retrieve speed by feel rather than sight.

Setup and handling notes

Because this is a full sinking line rather than a sink tip, the entire 90 feet sinks once it is in the water, which means it needs more backing capacity on the reel than a comparable floating line of the same length, since less running line stays on the surface. The fast sink rate is effective at getting flies to depth quickly, but that same trait makes it prone to snagging bottom structure, weed beds or rocks in shallower sections, so it works best reserved for water known to be reliably deep rather than mixed depth runs where a slower sinking or sink-tip line would be easier to manage.

How it compares to sister lines

Cortland sells this same Full Sinking Type 6 line across several weights, including an 8 weight WF8S version for bigger streamers and stronger fish, and the company also offers a Streamer Sink Tip 10 line that uses a shorter sinking section with a floating running line for easier mending. Within Cortland's own full sinking lineup this 7 weight sits alongside a similarly rated Type 3 slow sinking option for shallower applications and a Scientific Anglers Frequency Type VI line in the same broader category comparison. Compared with full sinking lines from other major brands in the same category, it lands in the middle of the field for sink rate and price.

Frequently asked questions